Means for making covered belt buckles



Feb. 2, 1965 G. EISENPRESSER ETAL 3,157,349

MEANS FOR MAKING COVERED BELT BUCKLES Filed April 8, 1963 FIG.3 \7 L 32 24 3 g I 5 35 25 L 3 9 5 Z FIG.6 RCA :5 /87 49 /'26 I8 F l I INVENTORS,

GEORGE EISENPRESSER, HENRY GUNTHER, BY

ATTORNEY United States Patent Cftice ,167,4 Patented Feb. 2, 1965 York Filed Apr. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 271,195 3 Claims. (Cl. 29--3) The present invention relates to means for the manufacture of covered buckles for belts.

These buckles comprise an upper metal frame which is an inverted shell of metal covered by a flat ring of fabric, leather or other materials which are thin and pliant, whose inner and outer perimetral edges are folded into such upper frame piece. Also, there is a lower metal frame which is an upright shell, fitting into the covered upper shell against the folded marginal ends of the cover; the inner and outer perimetral flanges of the outer shell being pressed inward to interlock said shells and thus maintain the assembly.

Qne form of the means to make this buckle, is to have a press head, a press bed and in the embodiment specifically illustrated, such means includes an intermediate press member. These press components cooperate, to effect the assembly.

The press bed seats an upper frame for the buckle structure and receives the cover blank properly positioned atop such upper frame. The press head includes a core slidably mounted in an upright tubular member whose under-edge serves as a rest for the laden upper frame. Upon movement of the press head down onto the press bed, the said core and other parts of said head and bed press members, cooperate to bring said upper frame into the press head with the cover straddling such upper frame in the form of an inverted endless channel thereon. An outer ring which is slidably mounted for vertical movement on the press head, is held fixed by a swingable latch to operate spring-biased means on the press head, to cooperate in the bending of the cover around the upper frame and in the transportation of the laden upper frame into the press head. Now, upon raising the press head, an intermediate press member is placed on the press bed and a lower frame seated therein. This intermediate press member in cooperation with the press head and the springbiased means of the press bed, serves first to bend the marginal ends of the cover upwardly into the upper frame in overlapping relation during the first portion of the descent of the press head and upon further movement of the latter, to have the lower frame enter the laden upper frame, and then finally to clinch the upper frame into locking engagement with the lower frame, to complete the assembly.

All of this is well known in this art, but too often the fault occurs that the cover is not properly held in the assembly and marginal parts thereof which should remain within the confines of and be tightly held, come out of the clinched assembly or there is a looseness in parts of said cover piece. This is due to the shift of the cover material during the operations of the press means.

The principal object of this invention is to avoid this objectionable occurrence and therefore provide novel and improved press means which will make a perfect covered buckle by controlling the cover during press operations.

The core has to be stopped at one position in the press head when in the first operation said core pushes the inner perimetral part of the cover blank through the opening in the upper frame piece, and stopped at another position higher up in the press head for the remaining operations in which the core cooperates with the intermediate press member to finish the buckle assembly. Hence, we provide novel mechanism to stop the core from upward movement in the press head at the two required positions respectively. It is this special stop means in the head press that this invention is solely concerned with.

A further object is to provide a novel and improved head press construction to stop the core in its upward movement therein, at said two required positions, which is simple to make, reasonable in cost and eflicient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

For one practice of this invention, the press head includes as shown, an upper block body from which depends an upright tubular member having the core vertically slidable therein and a ring member as a vertically slidable collar on said tubular member, held by a pawl against upward movement; said pawl being swingably mounted on said block body. The upright tubular member has an endless channel along its lower end to receive from the bed press, and seat, the upper frame piece on which is superposed the cover blank. The core and said ring member being at their respective lower positions which are below said channel, an annular channel is formed thereby within the press head to receive the work. Such entrance of the work, causes the outer and inner margins of the cover piece to be bent downward and form an inverted U-channel of cover material about the upper frame piece. At the commencement of operation, as mentioned, the core extends downwardly out of said tubular member and must be incapable of upward movement therein beyond a certain limit. For the final operation in conjunction with the intermediate press member, said core must have a possible upward movement into said tubular member, but not beyond a certain other limit.

In the preferred embodiment herein illustrated, we have shown one manner of construction to stop the core from upward movement at two positions in the press head. For this purpose, the core has a vertical pin extending centrally upward therefrom, from the top thereof and the block body of the press head has a vertical hole therein into which said pin may rise, but normally, this hole is closed by a shiftable member in the manner of a valve. An element from said closing member is accessible at the exterior, for operation by the pawl associated with said collar ring, to shift the closure member to open said hole. The heights of the core and its extending pin are of predetermined dimensions.

Other incidents of operation of the press tools and a more detailed description of the embodiment of this invention and its mode of operation, will now be given, for which reference is had to the accompanying drawing, said drawing being part of this specification and in which drawing, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

PEG. 1 is a face view of a fabric cover blank which is to envelop the upper frame piece of a belts buckle.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of an upper frame piece.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a lower frame piece.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the press head shown partly in section, embodying the teachings of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a section taken at line 55 in FIG. 4, omitting the pin which extends from the core in order to attain clarity of illustration.

FIG. 6 is a perspective View of the core and its extending pin, which as a unit, is part of the press head.

FIG. 7 is a central sectional elevational view of the press bed.

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of the intermediate press member, shown partly in section.

In the drawing, the numeral 15 denotes a fabric cover blank to envelop an upper frame 16 and then such combithe numeral 21, for the first operation, and they, co-

operating with the intermediate press member denoted generally by the numeral 22, perform the second, which is the final operation.

Those versed in the art will readily recognize that the press parts 20, 21 and 22 are well known, except that the core 18 is not resiliently suspended and has the upwardlyextending pin 1%, and that there is the hole 23 in-the blockbody 24 of the press head 20, into which said pin can enter when the entrance to such hole is not blocked by the provided closure member 25, and that said closure member is spring-biased to blocking position and that such closure member can be shifted to open said hole 23.

Thepress head 24 includes the upper block body 24 from which depends-the upright tubular member 26 in which the core 18 is vertically slidable and there is the ring of suitable weight, serving as the collar 27 which is vertically slidable on said tubular member 26 and held against upward movement by the pawl 28 which is swingably mountedat 29 on said block body 24. The lower end of said tubular member is formed as an endless channel 30. When said press head 2%) is away from the other parts of the press, said core 18 and the ring 27 are at their lowest positions respectively which are below said channel 30. Though the core 18 is permitted some upward movement in this condition, it must come to a stop while its lower end is still below said channel 30, a predetermined distance. Such stop is provided when the pin 19 reaches the closure element 25 which closes the entrance to the hole 23. This element 25 has the two aligned horizontal pins 31, 32 which are slidably fitted in aligned horizontal holes in said block body 24, extending therefrom. The pin 31 is spring pressed by the housed coil spring 33, so that the distal end of the pin 32 bears against the pawl 28 above the pawls axis pin 29; said closure member 25 being fiat, slides against the ceiling surface of a socket 34 in the underside of the block body 24 and comes to rest against the wall of such socket. Said closure element is provided with a vertical hole 35 therethrough which normally is away from the hole 23, but comes over into registry therewith when the pawl 23 is swung upwardly to release the ring 27 for upward movement on the press head 26.; The numeral 36 denotes a screw through the rings wall, extending slidably through a vertical slot 87 in the said tubular member 26 and then into a vertical keyway 88 in the core 18, to maintain the assembly.

The press head 29 and the press bed 21 are the only: tool members used for the first operation in making the covered buckle, for which, an upper frame 16 is seated on the upper rim of an upright tubular member 37 fixed onthe base 38 of the press bed and then a cover piece 15 is seated on the ring step 39 offered by acounterbore in the top face of a collar 46 which is slidable on the member 37 and pressed upwardly by the compression coil springs 41 to a limit position determined by the screw 42 V riding in the vertical slot 43 and maintaining the assembly of the press bed parts, as is common practice. Now upon downward movement of press head 26, ring 27 will bear on the step 44 of the ring or collar 4d and lower it against the action of the springs 41 which become further stressed by such movement. 18 will have contacted the fabric blank and the frictional resistance it is subject to upon entering the tubular member 37, will cause said core to rise and its pin will come to a-stop upon contacting the closure member 25. The core in such stopped position, will now bend down the inner perimetral lane of the blank 15 and the edge 52- At the same time, the core of the hole in the ring 27 will bend down the outer perimetral lane of said blank, and then upon continued downward movement of the press head, the work will be transportedinto the press h ad and seated against the channel 34?. It is evident that the cover piece has assumed the form of an inverted U-channel about'the upper frame 16, as is well known.

To complete the buckle, the press head 20 is now raised and the intermediate press member 22 is set onto the press bed 21, on the seat 44 and then after laying a bottom frame piece 17 at 45 around the plunger 46 which is spring-biased upwardly, the press head 29 is lowered. The first thing that happens is that the pawl 28 is intercepted by the earn 5 9 on the intermediate press member 22, and swung to release the ring 27 for free upward movement on the tubular member 26.- Such movement of said pawl, causes the closure member or gate 25 to be shifted against the action of the spring 33, and move so that the hole 35 shall register with the hole 23, .and hence the corcs pin 19 is free to enter said hole 23. Upon further downward movement of the press head 20, the tubular member 26 will protrude into the space 47 and thus bring the work it holds, past the endless edges 48 and 49, which cause the inner and outer perimetral lanes of the cover piece 15 to be bent under the, upper frame ldin overlapping relation. While this is occurring, the freed core 18 will shift upwardly into the press head 2% upon contacting the plunger 46 and come to rest against the undersurface of the block body 24 and thus be stopped from further upward movement, whereupon it.

are to be had for the core against upward movement into the press head 20 and such will depend in each installation on the dimensions of the other parts of the mechanism and buckle dimensions.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential featuresv herein disclosed. it is therefore intended and desired that the embodiment shown herein shall be deemed merely illustrative and notrestri'ctive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; refer.- ence being had. to the following claims rather than to .the Specific description and showing herein to indicate the scope of this invention. 7

We claim:

1. For'use in the making of a belt buckle consisting of an upper frame tightly enveloped by initially fiat fabric rings formed into an endless U-channel on said upper frame and having its inner and outer marginal edge lanes folded in up against the underside of the upper frameand a lower frame against said folded-in lanes and clinched by the upper frame to maintain the assembly, a press apparatus for assembling such buckle, of the type consisting of a press head including an upper block body from which depends an upright tubular member within which a core fits for vertical sliding movement and lower press means including an upwardly biased plunger opposite said core, adapted on association with the press head to cooperate with the press head to form a fabric blank ring piece into an endless inverted U-channel about an upper frame and seat said upper frame with said fabric channel form thereon, against the bottom edge of said tubular member and encircling said core and then adapted to bend in the outer and inner marginaledge lanes of said-blank up against the underside of the upper frame and to bring the upper frame so covered against a lower frame and with said plunger in a predetermined lowered position, to clinch the covered upper frame to the lower frame, wherein the improvement consists of a pin extending vertically upward from the core; the block body of the press head having a hole to receive said pin, a closure member biased to be normally positioned to close said hole and thus act as a first limit stop to halt upward movement of said core in said tubular member; and cooperative means on said press head and lower press means, to shift said closure member to open said hole to allow said pin to enter therein to an extent whereupon an upper surface on said core comes into contact with said block body and thus act as a second limit stop to halt upward movement of said bore on said tubular member; the respective distances between said surface to the upper end of said pin and to the lower end of the core, being predetermined lengths whereby said core protrudes downwardly out of said tubular member when said hole is closed and is capable of upward movement into said tubular member to its second limit stop above the lower end of the tubular member when said hole is open; the shifting of said closure member taking place to open said hole, occurring upon downward movement of the press head onto the lower press means after said seating occurs and before said core contacts the said plunger.

2. The improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein the cooperative means for shifting the closure member to open the mentioned hole, consists of a swingably mounted element on the block body of the press head, an element extending horizontally from said closure member, contacting said swingable element; said closure member being slidable horizontally on said block body and a cam on the lower-positioned press means adapted to intercept said swingable element upon downward movement of the press head and thereby swing said swingable element whereupon the closure member is shifted to open said hole.

3. The improvement as defined in claim 2, said closure member is provided with a hole, so positioned therethrough that upon shift of said closure member, its hole will register with the hole in the block body of the press head and the pin extending from the core will be enterable into both said holes.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,254,077 8/41 Levin 29--3 2,841,859 7/58 Spendel 293 3,087,227 4/63 Lerma 293 RICHARD H. EANES, 111., Primary Examiner.

WHITMORE A. WILTZ, Examiner. 

1. FOR USE IN THE MAKING OF A BELT BUCKLE CONSISTING OF AN UPPER FRAME TIGHTLY ENVELOPED BY INITIALLY FLAT FABRIC RINGS FORMED INTO AN ENDLESS U-CHANNEL ON SAID UPPER FRAME AND HAVING ITS INNER AND OUTER MARGINAL EDGE LANES FOLDED IN UP AGAINST THE UNDERSIDE OF THE UPPER FRAME AND A LOWER FRAME AGAINST SAID FOLDED-IN LANES AND CLINCHED BY THE UPPER FRAME TO MAINTAIN THE ASSEMBLY, A PRESS APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLYING SUCH BUCKLE, OF THE TYPE CONSISTING OF A PRESS HEAD INCLUDING AN UPPER BLOCK BODY FROM WHICH DEPENDS AN UPRIGHT TUBULAR MEMBER WITHIN WHICH A CORE FITS FOR VERTICAL SLIDING MOVEMENT AND LOWER PRESS MEANS INCLUDING AN UPWARDLY BIASED PLUNGER OPPOSITE SAID CORE, ADAPTED ON ASSOCIATION WITH THE PRESS HEAD TO COOPERATE WITH THE PRESS HEAD TO FORM A FABRIC BLANK RING PIECE INTO AN ENDLESS INVERTED U-CHANNEL ABOUT AN UPPER FRAME AND SEAT SAID UPPER FRAME WITH SAID FABRIC CHANNEL FORM THEREON, AGAINST THE BOTTOM EDGE OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND ENCIRCLING SAID CORE AND THEN ADAPTED TO BEND IN THE OUTER AND INNER MARGINAL EDGE LENS OF SAID BLANK UP AGAINST THE UNDERSIDE OF THE UPPER FRAME AND TO BRING THE UPPER FRAME SO COVERED AGAINST A LOWER FRAME AND WITH SAID PLUNGER IN A PREDETERMINED LOWERED POSITION, TO CLINCH THE COVERED UPPER FRAME TO THE LOWER FRAME, WHEREIN THE IMPROVEMET CONSISTS OF A PIN EXTENDING VERTICALLY UPWARD FROM THE CORE; THE BLOCK BODY OF THE PRESS HEAD HAVING A HOLE TO RECEIVE SAID PIN, A CLOSURE MEMBER BAISED TO BE NORMALLY POSITIONED TO CLOSE SAID HOLE AND THUS ACT AS A FIRST LIMIT STOP TO HALT UPWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID CORE IN SAID TUBULAR MEMBER; AND COOPERATIVE MEANS ON SAID PRESS HEAD AND LOWER PRESS MEANS, TO SHIFT SAID CLOSURE MEMBER TO OPEN SAID HOLE TO ALLOW SAID PIN TO ENTER THEREIN TO AN EXTENT WHEREUPON AN UPPER SURFACE ON SAID CORE COMES INTO CONTACT WITH SAID BLOCK BODY AND THUS ACT AS A SECOND LIMIT STOP TO HALT UPWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID BORE ON SAID TUBULAR MEMBER; THE RESPECTIVE DISTANCES BETWEEN SAID SURFACE TO THE UPPER END OF SAID PIN AND TO THE LOWER END OF THE CORE, BEING PREDETERMINED LENGTHS WHEREBY SAID CORE PROTRUDES DOWNWARDLY OUT OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER WHEN SAID HOLE IS CLOSED AND IS CAPABLE OF UPWARD MOVEMENT INTO SAID TUBULAR MEMBER TO ITS SECOND LIMIT STOP ABOVE THE LOWER END OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER WHEN SAID HOLE IS OPEN; THE SHIFTING OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER TAKING PLACE TO OPEN SAID HOLE, OCCURRING UPON DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE PRESS HEAD ONTO THE LOWER PRESS MEANS AFTER SAID SEATING OCCURS AND BEFORE SAID CORE CONTACTS THE SAID PLUNGER. 